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Man tries to rescue great white shark on Australia beach

A man tried to pull a great white shark washed ashore on Sydney's Manly Beach back to the sea last week.

Karl Bucholtz, 33, can be seen grabbing the shark's tail and dragging back into the water in a bid to rescue it.

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He was working on a property next to the beach when he saw the shark was in trouble.


Karl said he wasn't scared of the shark, and that he just wanted to help it.

Speaking to the Australian Daily Telegraph, he said: "You can't just stand there and watch it die.

"I think he was that worn out and stressed that I don't think he would have even tried to have a nibble (on Mr Bucholtz). It was just a young bloke looking for a hand."

However, despite his attempts the shark was injured and was not refloating successfully, so Karl alerted local sanctuary staff.

Rescuers from Manly Sea Life Sanctuary took it to a sea pool and later their aquarium, where the fish recovered overnight. It was released off Sydney's coastline the next day.


Sanctuary aquarist Robbie McCracken praised the man's effort, but said in a similar situation the public should alert staff first, explaining: "We are especially trained to deal with those types of animals, so in the future it's probably best to call us."